Origin
by Jet Engine
Summary: Read "Operation: Denmark" first, or you won't understand this story at all. After Johnson discovers a dark secret about Skipper, the two of them embark on a quest to save the world an ancient evil. The story is, hopefully, better than the summary. Contains blood and character death, later on.
1. Prologue

**I didn't plan on making this, but I was watching "House of Anubis" and got the idea. Yes, it is my own idea. Yes, I was inspired by "House of Anubis." No, I don't own that show.**

* * *

**Origin**

**Prologue**

Nighttime. The zoo hospital was silent, except for two penguins talking, the older one coughing occasionally. The older one was a little chubby, with somewhat messy head feathers, and was gravely ill. The young penguin, no more than a child, was skinny with bright green eyes. The eldest was lying in a cage with an IV, while the boy was sitting next to the cage, looking terribly worried.

"Are you gonna be okay, Daddy?" the boy asked.

His father coughed loudly. "I don't know, Johnny-_*cough*_-I just don't know..."

Johnny's eyes glistened with tears. "Y-you're not gonna..._die_, are you?"

Father ignored the question. "Johnny..."

Johnny got a little closer. "Y-yes, Daddy?"

"I believe you are aware of your mother's-" He was interrupted by a coughing fit.

"Of my mother's death?" His son asked. "She died not long ago. So?"

The penguin looked his son in the eye. "Listen, son, you can't-" He began coughing, again.

Now, the child was really worried and scared. "I can't what!?"

"You can't follow her path! You have to fight for good!"

Fight for good? Was Johnny's mother evil? The boy didn't understand any of this. "What do you mean, Daddy?"

"You have to protect it! Keep it from them!"

"Who's 'them'!?"

"You have the power to decide the fate of-_*cough*_"

Johnny took a few steps back. "Daddy, you're not making any sense!"

His father coughed again. "Hopefully, you'll never have to understand. Just promise that-_*cough, cough*_-that you'll be careful who you trust."

"What do you mean?" His father's eyes closed, and he lay motionless. "Daddy? Daddy!?"

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**So, what do you think? Review if you think I should continue.**


	2. Chapter 1

**And it begins...**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Lost and the Found**

Johnson woke with a start. He had that dream, again. The day his father died, and Johnson was orphaned-he still didn't understand it. He looked around. He and Skipper were on the outskirts of Copenhagen, and his leader was fidgeting in his sleep.

Johnson smiled, rolling his eyes. _He must be dreaming about fighting Dr. Blowhole, again,_ he thought.

The two of them had recently escaped the clutches of Manfredi, Hans, and Annelise, and had planned to head to the nearest city-they'd figure out how to return to America, afterwards. Johnson didn't quite why Skipper had told him that they couldn't come back to Copenhagen. He got the whole "they'll-use-us-for-evil-thing," but didn't know why they couldn't just fight the three of them.

The penguin shrugged. He was too tired to make sense of the situation. Plus, he trusted Skipper's judgement-despite his leader being wrong about their former teammates. Johnson yawned and went back to sleep.

* * *

_Skipper was in a pitch black area, with not a speck of light to be seen._

_He looked around. "Hello?" he called. "Anyone there?"_

_A large, white, blinding light appeared, and Skipper shielded his eyes from it. When the light died down, he at looked at the figure that stood in its place. It was an elderly, female penguin, with graying feathers and piercing blue eyes._

_Skipper looked at her in astonishment. "Mama?" he identified. "Why are you here?"_

_She crossed her arms. "What? Aren't you happy to see your own mother?" she asked sarcastically._

_"'Course I am, I just wanna know why you're here."_

_His mother's expression turned serious. "You cannot leave just yet. They are close to discovering it."_

_Skipper was confused. "They? It? Mama, what in the name of fruit salad are you talking about?"_

_She did a facepalm. "I'm talking about the Sizone and the Dionte!"_

_"What!?" Skipper couldn't believe what he was hearing. "The Sizone!? But...but how?"_

_"They have discovered what you are, my son."_

_"What!? How!?"_

_"They have taken the symbol of Aunka from you."_

_"Lady Gaga's back-up singers!" he exclaimed in fear. "Who took it!?"_

_"I think you have an idea, already." Skipper's mother said as she began to fade._

_"Mama! Wait!" But she was already gone._

Skipper woke up, stunned and confused. Who was his mother talking about? He thought about the people he'd recently been in contact with. Three names instantly popped into his head.

* * *

Back at the log cabin, Manfedi and Hans were steaming, while Annelise was rolling her eyes at them.

"I can't believe they got away!" Hans exclaimed.

Manfredi glared at him. "I warned you that the evilizer might wear off!"

"Well, you never said it would wear off _that _quickly!"

"SHUT UP!" Annelise shouted, making the arguing birds stare at her in shock. Then, she spoke calmly. "We don't need Skipper."

"Uh, yes, we do," Manfredi replied in confusion.

"Yeah," Hans agreed. "Without him, how are we supposed to-"

Annelise held up a small golden X with a pale orange star in the middle. "Because we have this."

"The symbol of Aunka!?" the puffin said in astonishment. "How did you-"

"Not many people know this about me," she interrupted. "But I'm an excellent pick-pocket."

"Perfect," the male penguin said, picking it up. "Now for the hard part."

"You mean finding the orbs?" Annelise asked, already knowing the answer.

"Exactly."

* * *

**What's happening!? Well, I know what's happening, but you probably don't. Please review!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Next chapter time!**

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Discovery**

Skipper began poking the sleeping Johnson. "Johnson, wake up."

"Ugh, prepare for take off..." Johnson muttered, rolling over.

"JOHNSON!"

"Space squids!" Johnson was startled awake.

"At ease, soldier," Skipper told him. "You're not in outer space."

Johnson blinked, looking up at his leader. "Oh! good morning, Skipper." He stood up. "Time to move out?"

"Negatory," Skipper answered. "We need to head back!"

"How come?"

"Oh! Uh..." Skipper wasn't sure whether or not it was a good idea to tell his friend the _whole_ truth, so he told him part of it. "I, uh, forgot something. Something _very_ important."

Johnson was puzzled at his leader's answer. Skipper would _never_ forget something important, would he? "What did you forget?"

"Classified."

"If you don't tell me," Johnson said, facepalming. "Then, how can I help you look for it?"

Now, it was Skipper's turn to do a facepalm. "I'll know it when I see it."

Johnson rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's go." Johnson was about to leave, when his friend pulled him back.

Skipper looked him in the eye. "I'll fly solo. You wait here. That's an order."

"But what about the penguin credo; 'Never swim alone'?"

The head penguin sighed. "Fine," he said, defeated. "You can come, too."

The lieutenant was confused. "Why don't you want me to come?"

Skipper ignored the question. "Move out!" he ordered.

* * *

They arrived at the cabin, and spotted Manfredi, Hans, and Annelise exiting. The two penguins hid around the side of the building and listened to the conversation.

"Manfredi," Hans was saying, handing his friend the Symbol of Aunka. "Put this in your bag for safe keeping."

Manfedi stored the symbol in his penguin-sized, dark gray back pack.

Annelise let out an evil giggle. "Once we have the orbs, we'll be unstoppable!"

"The Sizone Clan will rule world!" the puffin exclaimed. He and his clanmates walked off.

"Hot fudge sundae!" Skipper exclaimed. "They really do have it!"

"Uh, Skipper..." Skipper looked at Johnson as if he'd forgotten about his friend's presence. "You mind telling me what just happened?"

"Johnson," he said, not wanting to tell him. "Didn't anyone ever tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Questions are a danger to you and a burden to others."

Johnson rolled his eyes. "Now, you're just quoting Mr. Krabs," he stated, pointing out Skipper's reference to _Spongebob Squarepants_.

Skipper looked around, making sure they were alone. He took a deep breath. "Johnson, you may not understand any of what I have to tell you, but I'll explain, anyway. Just be aware that what I have to tell you is more classified than...well...anything."

Johnson saluted. "Understood, sir."

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**What will Skipper tell him? Stay tuned and review!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Let's move on, shall we?**

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**Chapter 3: Legends and Lore**

"Thousands of years ago, there were two secret clans: the Sizone Clan and the Aunka Clan. Each clan had a variety of members scattered throughout the globe. However, these clans couldn't be more different. While the Aunka wanted nothing more than to keep the peace, the Sizone wanted something sinister and vile: world domination."

"For years, these clans were at each other's throats. At first, it wasn't to bad. Name calling, here. Dirty looks there. But soon, things got edgy. We're talking kidnapping, death threats, murders! Before anyone who wasn't a clan member could even start piecing all this together, a horrible war broke out between the two clans. A lot of blood was shed. Many lives were lost.""

"Now, here's where it gets more twisted than a soft pretzel," Skipper warned. "So, pay attention, soldier. I'm only gonna tell you this story once. During the war, a young Doublo named Ariana-"

"What's a Doublo?" Johnson asked.

"The offspring of a Sizone and an Aunka," Skipper answered.

The other penguin was confused. "But, from what you told me, that doesn't sound possible."

His leader facepalmed. "Johnson, what part of '_secret_ clans' are you not getting? That kind of thing is usually by accident. Sometimes, the married couple _never_ finds out the truth about each other. But, the clans usually found out, and kept it secret to avoid losing a member to love." He thought for a moment, then said "now, where was I...?"

"Ariana."

"Oh, right."

"Ariana Trayton was a young Doublo girl, who steered clear of both groups. You see, Johnson, by the age of eighteen, a Doublo was required to chose a clan to follow. However, Ariana wanted to pursue her own ideals, so she fled. No ones knows precisely _where_ she went, but they say it was somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. Anyway, that dame was a bit of a sorcerress. When she heard about the war, she knew she had to do something. So, Ariana used her power to create a powerful orb she called 'Dionte.'"

"Dionte?" Johnson repeated. "What is that, Latin?"

Skipper slapped him. "That was the magic word she chanted to create it, soldier. Hence, why she called that...I think."

"Legend has it, whoever owned this mystical object had enough power to do anything. From bringing people back to life, to taking over the world. Ariana used its power to stop the war, and bring peace between the clans. For a good while, the clans got along just fine. Soon, however, word spread of the orb, and a lot of Sizone wanted it. You see, Ariana may have stopped the war, but she didn't change the clans' individual ideals. The Sizone Clan still wanted world domination, and the Aunka still wanted to protect the earth. Driven by their desires to find the Dionte, they turned on each other once again."

"In order to put a stop to this, once and for all, Ariana broke the Dionte into several orbs, and hid them in various places where Copenhagen stands today. She picked Copenhagen, because it used to be a lifeless wasteland that no one ever went to."

"Whatever happened to the clans, Skipper?" Johnson was very interested in this story.

"They still exist, today, but there are hardly any members left. Nevertheless, the remaining members are still searching for the orbs, so they can recreate the Dionte. Of course, first they'd need a Doublo, because Doublo are the only beings who can put the individual orbs together...or so I hear."

"How do you know about all this, Skipper?"

"Brace yourself, Johnson, for what I'm about to tell you. I. Am. An Aunka." Johnson gasped. "Furthermore," Skipper continued. "I'm the only Aunka left. My Symbol of Aunka-the X-shaped thing you saw-was taken from me, because, along with a Doublo, you'd need the symbol of both clans in order to recreate the Dionte."

"So, Hans, Manfredi, and Annelise are in the Sizone Clan?" Johnson asked, finally understanding the recent events, and why Skipper was so eager to leave.

"affirmative."

A determined glint found its way into Johnson's eye. "Well, I'm helping you find the orbs!"

"Johnson?"

"If those orbs are causing all this trouble, we'd better find them before the Sizone do! Even if we can't put them together, we can still protect them!"

Skipper pondered this, then smiled. "Commence Operation: Expedition!"

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**And it begins... Please review!**


	5. Chapter 4

**I'm ****_finally_**** continuing! I know this chapter's short, but I wanted to post something!**

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**Chapter 4: The Quest Begins**

"So...where do we start looking?" Johnson asked.

"What are you asking _me_ for?" Skipper asked.

Johnson did a facepalm. "Don't tell me you don't know where the orbs are..."

"Well," Skipper explained. "No one knows their _exact _locations. Although, they say that each part the Dionte was hidden within each of the elements: fire, water, earth, air, and nature."

Johnson was confused. "So, we have to look in places where that stuff is located?"

His leader shrugged. "Maybe."

"Come on, Skipper!" Johnson exclaimed, annoyed. "You're the...Onny...thing. You have to know something!"

"First of all, it's _Aunka_, not _Onny_," Skipper corrected. "Second, being a pure-blooded Aunka, I should be able to make a guess. My kind were quite skilled when it came to noticing anything out of the ordinary."

"Okay..." Johnson rolled his eyes. "So, where do we check first, Mr. See-All-And-Know-All?" This made him receive another slap from his commanding officer.

* * *

The three avian Sizone were just outside the forest. They were listening standing around a radio. Annelise was listening to a set of headphones connected to it.

"Now," she told her clanmates. "Skipper says that they're going to check The Sound for the first orb."

"Good thing we had that microphone implanted in the bushes," Manfredi stated. "We'd better hurry, if we want to beat them to it."

"Don't count your fish, before they're cooked, Manfredi," Hans said. "We may not need to beat them to it."

This statement confused the male penguin. "But, then they would get the first orb."

"He's right," the female agreed. "Why would we just _let_ them get it?"

"You two aren't thinking like Sizone," the puffin answered. "If we let those two do all the work, we can just snatch up the orbs, recreate the Dionte, and take over the world!"

"Hello? Earth to puffin?" Annelise said, annoyed. "Skipper is an Aunka, and Johnson is helping him. What are we suppose to do, smile and say please?"

Hans smiled evilly. "Trust me, Annelise. I have a plan."

"I feel so much better," Annelise said, sarcastically.

"Let me guess," Manfredi stated. "It involves weaponry and death threats."

"Uh," Hans hadn't actually thought of a plan, yet. "Yeah, definitely!"

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**In case you didn't know, The Sound is a strait between the Kattegat and the Baltic Sea. Please review!**


	6. Chapter 5

**I'm _finally_ back!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: What Happens Underwater**

All was calm when Skipper and Johnson arrived at The Sound. The crystal water sparkled in the sunlight. Leaves danced in the gentle breeze. The penguins looked around cautiously.

"It's quiet," Skipper observed, "_too_ quiet..."

"So, where do we start looking?" Johnson asked.

"Well, if the orbs are within the elements, it'll probably be in the water."

"Then, let's jump in."

Skipper just looked at him, blankly. "You do realize this is only a theory?"

Johnson shrugged. "What have we got to lose?"

"The you-know-what to the you-know-who," was the answer.

"Skipper," came the annoyed response, "I've got a gut feeling that you're right about the orb being in The Sound." Johnson's emerald eyes sparked with mischief. "Aren't you the one who's always saying to 'listen to your gut?'"

Skipper rolled his eyes, but let out a small chuckle. "Fair enough. Move out!" With that, they dove into the strait.

* * *

"I don't know about this," Annelise was saying nervously to Hans.

The Sizone carefully slid their way around the castle. It was made from huge, cream-colored bricks and looked pretty much like a stereo-typical fairy tale castle. The birds made their way up to the moat.

"Annelise, when are you going to learn to trust me?" the puffin asked, rolling his eyes.

"When you stop being annoying ," was the sarcastic response.

Out of the moat, came a huge crocodile with dark green eyes, somewhat crooked teeth, and a deep scar on his snout. The Manfredi and Annelise looked up at the reptile in terror. Hans just walked up to him calmly.

"We wish to see the queen," he told the crocodile.

The croc looked at the puffin suspiciously. "Why?" he asked in a deep, gravely voice.

Hans turned Manfredi. "Give me your back pack."

"Why?" Manfredi asked, handing over his back pack.

Hans didn't answer. Instead, he pulled out a dark purple X with a black star in the center and and showed it to the reptile. If he was surprised at seeing the Symbol of Sizone, he didn't show it. He just smacked his tail against the wooden drawbridge a few times, and it lowered with a thud.

"I don't know what you all are up to," the croc said, "but I'll trust anyone in my clan. The name's Gunner."

"I'm Hans," the puffin introduced. He gestured to his colleagues. "These are Manfredi and Annelise."

The penguins waddled up to Gunner. "We have information about-" Manfredi started.

"If it's about the Dionte," the croc interrupted, "go right in. Otherwise, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

The avian walked onto the drawbridge. Annelise looked up at Gunner, grinning slyly. "It _is_ about the Dionte."

* * *

Skipper and Johnson swam under the water, looking for anything out of the ordinary. They saw nothing unusual, just coral, rocks, plant life, various species of fish.

Johnson soon became light-headed. _Maybe I just need some air, _he thought. But that couldn't be. He was a penguin, and he hadn't been underwater long enough to need to com out. His focus drifted to a huge, algae-covered stone. As he swam to it, everything else seemed to disappear, as though the stone was calling him. Skipper followed his friend, the commander's expression puzzled, yet suspicious.

Soon, Johnson was directly in front of the stone. He gingerly placed his flipper on it and quickly jerked it away. The spot he had touched began glowing white! When the light died, the penguins saw something written in its place.

_They say all life began in water_

_But this not so_

_Life began somewhere far superior_

_And mixed with water_

The penguins looked at each other in confusion. Then, Skipper pointed upwards, signalling that they should return to the surface. They did so, and swam to shore.

Once on dry land, Skipper turned to Johnson, his deep blue gaze tinted with a suspicious curiosity. "How the deuce did you know that message was there?"

Johnson pondered this. How _did_ he know? "I'm not sure. I just kind of...did."

"Hmm..." The Aunka looked his friend over, squinting.

"What?" Johnson asked, feeling mildly uncomfortable.

Skipper examining the penguin, but still looked skeptical. "Nothing. Now, let's return to the situation at hand," he stated, as though nothing had happened, just then.

"Uh, right." Johnson repeated the inscription, "'They say all life began in water, but this is not so-'"

Skipper continued. "'Life began somewhere far superior, and mixed with water.'" He rubbed his chin thinking. "What does that mean?"

"Clearly it has something to do with the first orb," the lieutenant stated. "But what?"

An idea popped into Skipper's head. "Perhaps it's some form of riddle...or something. Maybe if we figure out what it means, we'll get the you-know-what!"

"Why can't you just say 'orb?'"

"You never know who's watching, Johnson. You never know..."

* * *

**Is someone watching, or is Skipper just being paranoid? And what does the queen have to do with all this? Please review!**


	7. Chapter 6

**This chapter contains Christianity. Also, Queen Helena is my OC.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Realization**

Queen Helena strolled through the castle, searching for something to do. She wore a puffy red dress, with a leopard print down the middle. Her black hair was in a regal bun on the top of her head, and a golden crown accented with rubies.

It wasn't long before she spotted two penguins and puffin heading in her direction. She stopped, immediately. "Filthy animals!?" she exclaimed in disgust. She had a surprisingly faint Danish accent. "In my castle!?"

Right when she was about to summon the guards, the birds whipped out their Symbols of Sizone.

The queen gaped. _How could _birds _be in a clan?_ She had heard that it was possible for animals to be clan members, but she had never believed it. Until now.

One of the penguins took off the dark gray back pack he was wearing and pulled out paper and a pen. He began writing on the paper, then handed it to Queen Helena. _We have a plan to retrieve the Dionte,_ was written on it.

Helena wasn't completely sure what was going on. Avian members of her clan? _And_ they know of the Dionte!?

She eyed the birds, curiously. "What do you know?" _I'm talking to birds,_ she thought. _I must have gone insane._ But when she read the next thing the penguin wrote, she decided to side with the three Sizone.

Trust us. We're on your side, and we know how to retrieve the orbs the easy way.

Helena knew that only the clans knew of the orbs. And that the Aunka would _never_ tell her about this.

* * *

_"Amen." Two penguins-an adult female with slightly curled feathers on the back of her neck and a little skinny boy with bright green eyes-were knelt down outside the Monroeville Christian Church in Monroeville, PA, and had just finished praying._

_It was a small building constructed out of brownish bricks. It was the shape of a basic house, and it had several bushes and trees growing around it._

_The little boy up at the church, eyes wide with wonder. "Hey, Mommy," he said to the woman in front of him, "how come we never pray in the church?"_

_"Because penguins aren't allowed in churches, Johnny," his mother answered. "However, that shouldn't stop us from praising God."_

_"Why makes God so special?"_

_Johnny's mother smiled, as though she was expecting him to ask that. "Well, Sweetie, God did something very special."_

_Johnny tilted his head. "Did He invent something?"_

_His mother seemed to ponder this. "Well...that's one way to put it. He created every being on Earth, including the plants."_

_Her son gaped. "One Guy made_

_everything!?"_

_"That's what I've been taught."_

_"Humans, too?"_

_"Humans, too."_

_"But, Dylan says that humans came from fish who grew legs."_

_His mother laughed. "Well, Johnny, you tell Dylan that he's only half right."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because God helped the fish to evolve-or grow legs-and, eventually, turn into humans."_

Johnson woke up and looked around. He and Skipper had fallen asleep on the sand by The Sound (it wasn't very comfortable, but they'd slept on worse). He looked at his leader, who was still sleeping.

Johnson thought about his dream. He and his mother...at church? Their conversation about God and what He had acomplished-creating life. How his friend/future commander, Dylan, had been partly wrong and why. The lieutenant didn't understand why he would dream about that.

Wait. The riddle! "Life began somewhere far superior, and mixed with water." That was it! Heaven! God was up in Heaven, and He created life on Earth. And if it mixed with water...

_Holy Water!_ Johnson thought, excitedly. _That must be it!_

* * *

**Huh. Not as long as I would've liked it to be... I'm trying to make my chapters longer. Oh, well! Btw, can you guess who Dylan is? ;) Please review!**


	8. Chapter 7

**More Christianity. Also, I'm not good with "church vocabulary," so bare with me.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: More Discoveries**

"Skipper. Skipper, wake up." Johnson was gently shaking his sleeping commander. He wasn't sure if his hunch was correct, but he had to tell Skipper about it. "Skipper! It's morning! Wake up!" Skipper rolled over. Johnson decided to try the one thing that always caught his friend's attention. "DYLAN!" Calling him his real name.

Skipper shot up and exclaimed "you're dead, Blowhole!"

Johnson swallowed a rising giggle and said "Skipper, I think I-"

"You know I hate my name, Johnson," an annoyed Skipper interrupted.

Johnson ignored him. "I think I know the answer to the riddle-Holy Water!"

"Holy. Water?" the commander repeated, skeptically. "And just what made you think of that?"

"Think about it. The writing talked about life beginning somewhere 'superior,' and mixing with water. Don't you think Heaven and God kinda fall under the word superior?"

Skipper seemed to ponder this. "Alright, but, what, are we suppose to toss the stuff into the ocean, or-"

Johnson smiled slyly. "Perhaps..."

Skipper stared at him as though he had grown a second head. "Are you sure about this?"

"Gut instinct." He rubbed his stomach in emphasise. "Think about _that_, General Always-Trust-Your-Gut." That last part earned him a slap from Skipper.

Skipper crossed his arms. "If you're sure about this..."

* * *

The two penguins slid up to a gray building. It was a large, decorative, house-shaped building, with a magnificent tower attached to the side of it.

Skipper looked up at it. "The Church of Christ," he said half to himself. He looked at Johnson, certainty twinkling in his friend's eyes. "Move out." They slid into the church.

The inside was more magnificent than the outside. Rows and rows of pews were lined up along the sides. Between them, lay a dark green carpeting that stretched from the entrance to the altar. A marble statue of Jesus stood in the front of the interior. An elegant mural of clouds and angels decorated the ceiling.

All the humans were seated, paying attention to the priest, and not at all noticing the penguins waddle in. The birds jumped up onto the rim of a large, bronze bowl, which was attached to the dark cream-colored wall. In it, was some water.

"Alrighty," Johnson said, "where's the thing to put the water in?"

Skipper looked blankly at him. "I thought _you_ brought something."

They stared at each other for a moment, then facepalmed. They looked down at the Holy Water in the bowl.

"You know what, Johnson," Skipper said, looking out his friend, "my gut's telling me that _your_ gut is wrong!"

Johnson was taken aback. "What do you mean!?"

"All I'm saying, is that you were probably wrong about the writing underwater," Skipper said matter-of-factly. "I've been skeptical about your thoughts on the subject this entire time, and I think-"

"And you think I'm wrong," Johnson finished for him.

"Well...yes."

Johnson shrugged. "Fine by me."

Skipper smiled slightly. "Now, let's think about that riddle-thing. 'They say all life began in water-'"

The water in the bowl gained a faint glow. The commandos looked at each other, both of their gazes asking the same question-"you're seeing this too, right?"

Johnson, awkwardly, continued the riddle. "But...this is not so..."

The water glew brighter.

Skipper continued. "Life began somewhere far superior..."

And brighter.

Johnson finished. "And mixed with water..."

At this, the glow had shrunk into a tiny, deep blue ball-shape. It slowly floated out of the bowl. The penguins stared at it in shock and wonder.

"Is that...the first orb...!?" Johnson was mesmerized.

"I guess we didn't need the water," Skipper began, equally mesmerized, "just the words."

The orb floated around Johnson so fast, it looked as though the penguin, himself, was glowing. It then seemed to vanish. The penguins just stood there for a moment, trying to comprehend what just happened.

"Did it...go in me?" Johnson asked, half recovered from shock. "'Cause it feels like something pierced my skin...or something..."

* * *

The penguins had just exited the church, and Skipper was thinking aloud.

"I don't understand," the commander said, half to himself, "Doublo are the suppose to be the only ones who can do that..."

"What are you talking about?" Johnson queried.

Skipper his lieutenant in the eye. "That orb went inside you."

"I'm aware of that."

"So, that means..." The commander trailed off.

"Means what?" Skipper had Johnson's full attention, now. "What does that mean?"

Skipper shocked blue gaze made Johnson a little nervous. "How much do you know about...your parents?" Skipper asked.

Now, Johnson was _really_ confused. Why would ask that? "Uh, not much. I was orphaned as a boy, so I can't tell you much." He thought for a moment, then said "I do recall, once, my father telling me to be good and that I have powers, or something..."

His leader gasped. "Then...you must be!"

"What?"

Skipper took a deep breath. "Brace yourself, Johnson, for what I'm about to say. All the signs are there: knowing where that message was, knowing what it meant, the orb _entering your body_. Johnson, my friend, you. Are. A Doublo."

* * *

**Whether you saw it coming or not, it came. Please review!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Hooray for updates! XD**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Just When You Think You Know Someone**

Johnson just stood there, letting what he just heard sink in. He was a Doublo? That couldn't be right! And yet, that did explain the strange things that had been happening to him-from the message in The Sound, to the orb going inside of him. He looked Skipper in the eye and said slowly "are you sure...?"

Skipper nodded. "You knew where that writing was. You knew what it was hinting at. The you-know-what went inside of you." He slowly shook his head. "There's no other explanation."

"But, how could I not have known that?" Johnson asked, doubt and confusion filling his voice.

"That remains a mystery." A thought popped into Skipper's head. "How old were you when you were orphaned?"

The Doublo thought for a moment. "I don't know... I think I was around eight in penguin years."

"That explains it then. Doublo don't usually find out about anything 'til they're eighteen. I'm pretty sure I mentioned that."

Johnson thought this over. "That would explain the dreams," he thought aloud.

The Aunka eyed him skeptically. "What dreams?"

"Lately, I've been having weird dreams," his friend answered. "Like, not long ago, I dreamed about the day my father died. Then, last night, I dreamed about one of the times I went to church with my mother, which, sort of, gave me the answer to the riddle."

Skipper nodded in understanding, his face expressionless. "Johnson, we're gonna need another dream."

"Right now?"

"Right now."

Johnson looked at Skipper like he was crazy. "Skipper, in order to do that, I'd have to fall asleep. What person can fall asleep on command?"

A mischievous smile crept onto the commander's face. "An unconscious person, that's who."

"What do you mean by-" Johnson was cut off by a harsh slap on the back of his neck, and everything went dark.

* * *

Queen Helena was sitting on a golden throne with red velvet cushioning, not paying attention to her surroundings as she proudly polished her Symbol of Sizone. Hans sat on her lap, relaxing. _I wonder where Manfredi ran off to,_ he thought.

Annelise jumped up next to him. She looked ready to explode with fury. "Hans, have you seen Manfredi?" Hans shook his head, and the she-penguin continued. She held up a Symbol of Sizone. "This is Manfredi's Symbol."

"So?" the puffin said in confusion. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Annelise broke the Symbol against her leg. "It's fake!"

Hans shot onto his feet. "Manfredi had a faux Symbol!?"

The female's emerald eyes blazed with the same fury that Hans felt. "Do you realize what this means!?" she exclaimed.

The puffin nodded, his voice laced with venom as he spoke. "It means he was lying. That bird's no more Sizone than Skipper!"

* * *

Skipper looked down at his unconscious lieutenant in confusion. _How the deuce did that happen? _he thought. _I didn't do anything, yet!_

He looked up from Johnson, and his eyes widened in surprise as he found himself face-to-face with a familiar skinny penguin with messy head feathers. "Manfredi!?"

Manfredi took off his back pack, set it down in front of him, and raised his flippers, signalling that he was unarmed. His light blue eyes were pleading. "I come in peace," he said. "Just let me explain."

Skipper thought about the penguin's request. He couldn't trust him! Manfredi was a Sizone! However, something in Manfredi's eyes kept the commander from saying no. "Go on..."

"Requesting permission to take something out of my bag, first?"

Skipper thought about this. Against his better judgement, he said "permission granted."

Manfredi bent down and reached into his bag. Skipper was on edge, wondering if it was the best decision to let him do that. Then, he stood in astonishment at what Manfredi pulled out.

* * *

**This next chapter might take a while. Until next time, review!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Sorry I haven't been updating. The events in my life have gone in this order: writer's block, then my grandfather dying, then the funeral, then being assaulted by my 8-year old cousin (that chick has too much energy), then starting on other stories, then a lot of homework, then my Internet stopped working.**

**So, basically...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Friend or Foe?**

_The cave was collasping all around Johnson as he ran. His heart was pounding so hard, he thought it was going to explode. He was barely able to dodge the stalactites that were falling all around him. Suddenly, he stopped. The cave went pitch black and transitioned into an elegant setting that Johnson didn't recognize._

_It appeared to be a regal bedroom. The walls were dark purple with cream-colored vine designs. A bed with black sheets sat at the side of the room, and a black vanity was at the opposite end of the room. A blood-red wardrobe was next to it._

Looks like some goth's room, _Johnson thought._

_He turned around and saw the door open a crack. Instinctively, Johnson jumped into a fighting stance. He was rather surprised to see a penguin walk poke his head through the door, nervously looking from side to side._

_"Manfredi?" he said. "What are you doing here?" Manfredi didn't answer. Instead, he bellyslid into the room-passing right through Johnson._

_Johnson shivered. "W-w-what...what just...?" He turned in Manfredi's direction. "How did you do that!?"_

_Still no answer. Johnson edged closer to the Sizone, who was opening the bottom drawer of the vanity. Manfredi placed his back pack on the floor, still looking wary._

_He pulled three small, glowing, white spheres out of the drawer and stuffed them in his bag. Johnson's eyes widened-Manfredi had taken two orbs! Then he pulled something else out-a golden X with an orange star in the center._

* * *

Manfredi pulled out three orbs, and Skipper just stood there staring. He didn't know what to make of this. Then, Manfredi pulled out a golden X with an orange star in the center and handed it to Skipper. Skipper hesitantly grabbed it and examined it.

_My Symbol of Aunka...?_ he thought, flabbergasted. Manfredi was one of the ones who stole it! Why would he return it?

He was about to say something, but Manfredi cut him off, "I'll explain everything-" Johnson groaned and shakily stood up, "-when Johnson wakes up."

Johnson gasped. "Manfredi!?" He looked at the Symbol in Skipper's flippers, jaw dropping. Then, the orbs spun quickly around him and melted into him. He blinked, his expression bathed in confusion. "Uh...what's going on...?"

"Ask him," Skipper ordered, pointing to Manfredi.

Johnson looked at the scientist. "Well?"

Manfredi took a deep breath. "It started not long after we'd met Annelise..."

"I had heard Hans discussing something about a 'Dionte' and how to get it. They were holding those purple X-thingies and saying something about 'Symbols' and 'Sizone.' This seemed suspicious, but I didn't understand what they were talking about-I needed to find out. I had forged a Symbol of Sizone to get close. Once they accepted me, they told me their plans. They had mentioned a special kind of census taker, called a Tyniki-that I later found out was a guy who could sense the presence of a clan member-confirming that Skipper was the last remaining 'Aunka.'

I decided that I should retrieve the orbs myself, and then join up with you guys when it was safe. I was only pretending to be on their side, so that I could find out was going on."

Skipper and Johnson took a moment to let this new information sink in. Skipper broke the silence. "So, you're saying you're a double agent?" he asked skeptically.

Manfredi nodded. "Affirmative."

"Nope, don't believe you."

Manfredi looked disappointed, but not too surprised. "I'm telling the truth!"

"How did we know that, for sure?"

Johnson looked at his leader. "Skipper, why would he give us this stuff if he was bad?"

Skipper was taken aback to hear his lieutenant's question, but he thought about it. Johnson had a point-the enemy wouldn't do anything to help them-but...

"Fine," Skipper regretfully began, "we'll believe you..._for now_." Manfredi sighed in relief, but Skipper shoved his face into the other's. "But I've got my eye on you, soldier..."

* * *

**Interesting... It might take me a while to update, so be patient. Also, keep calm and cherries! And review, too.**


	11. Chapter 10

***thinking of goofy phrase* I got nothing. :P**

* * *

**Chapter 10: More Competition**

Annelise was pacing, and Hans just watched her. "If I _never_ see that traitor again," Annelise spat, "it'll be too soon!"

"Relax," Hans told her. "As long as Manfredi didn't take anything-" He was interrupted by a scream. "What was that?"

"It was either the queen," the penguin said, "or a deranged cat." Hans gave her a did-you-really-just-say-that look. "What?"

"Where are they!?" Queen Helena shouted. "WHERE ARE THEY!?"

* * *

"Wait," Skipper said suspiciously to Manfredi, "if you're on our side, why knock out Johnson?"

Manfredi shrugged. "Isn't that what you were about to do?"

"Well, technically yes, but-"

"Can I interrupt?" Johnson asked annoyed, aware that he was already interrupting. The others looked at him annoyed (Skipper more so than Manfredi). Johnson told them about his dream-leaving out the part with Manfredi.

"So we're looking for a cave?" Skipper asked. He rubbed his chin. "That would mean searching for the earth orb. Well, we do have the one for water..."

"And the ones I brought," Manfredi began, "are for fire, air, and nature. Wait, what's significant about a dream?" He thought for a moment. "Unless..."

The Aunka smiled. "Now, you're getting it. Johnson's a Doublo, so he has useful dreams."

"Anyway," Johnson said. "We're going to have to find some cave. There can't be that many of those around here."

"Plus, with your abilities, Johnson, you'll be able to find the orb no problem!" Manfredi added.

* * *

It was a beautiful, starry night. A roaring waterfall crashed into the river below. Two lemurs-a tall ringtail lemur and a shorter aye-aye-raced along the edge of the water. They wore matching explorer's caps, and both their pelt colors were masked by the large amount of dust and dirt they were covered in. The ringtail lemur carried a golden, horn-shaped object.

"J," the aye-aye addressed his partner, "are you sure this is one of the _original_ Golden Horns of Gallehus?"

"Of course it is, M!" J answered enthusiastically. Then he furrowed his brow in confusion. "Do you not trust de Aunka's judgey-ment? Eh, just to be clear, I am de Aunka in dis story. Me."

"I do trust your judgey-I mean judgement, but-"

"But what, M? What is de meaning of all of your pointless butting?"

"Well, I heard that the horns were destroyed," M answered. "How can you possibly have one of them?"

J laughed. "Didn't I ever tell you, M? One of de horns-dis one dat I am holding-was preserved by my great-great-other greats grandfather, who gave it to my great-great-one-less-greats grandfather, who gave it to my great-great-"

"I get it," the aye-aye interrupted, rolling his amber eyes.

J suddenly looked skeptical. "Are we being certain dat my horny-thingy is being de answer...?"

"The writing on the wall said-and I quote-'those who are separate are not far apart. Those who are lost are not missing.' The Golden Horns of Gallehus were buried not far from each other. Humans have made replicas of them, so they're technically not 'missing.'" He smiled. "I'm pretty sure we got the right idea."

J groaned. "Are _all_ of de Double-O's dis filled up with de useless knowledge!?"

M was annoyed at his partner's rhetorical question. "First off, it's pronounced _Doublo_. Second, without my 'useless knowledge,' that riddle would've stumped us even more! And third, if we keep discussin' this, someone'll find the orb before we do."

The Aunka nodded in agreement. "Excellent point, M." He gestured toward the waterfall. "Come. We will find de orb and remake de Donde-"

"_Dionte_."

"-or my name is not-I am pausing for de effectiveness-Indiana Jones!"

"But your name _isn't_ Indiana Jones."

J scoffed. "Wait to be taking de fun out of being an exploring guy."

* * *

**Ooh! A twist! Please review!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Me: I wasn't planning on using Mort, but Meagan Snow wanted him in the story (and I'll bet the rest of you wanted to see him, as well). I think he might fit pretty well, actually!**

**Mort: Hooray, for readers!**

**Me: Get back in the fic.**

**Mort: Okay! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 11: The Littlest Lemur**

A mouse lemur with big, yellow eyes and brown fur was running towards a huge waterfall in the middle of the night. "I'm coming, Explorer J!" he shouted to the two explorers.

J turned around, saw the mouse lemur, and facepalmed. "Why does he keep following us!?"

His partner smiled and shrugged. "I know he gets in our way, sometimes, but he admires you. It's cute."

The ringtail eyeballed M in outrage. "Cute!? CUTE!? Dat guy is annoying, stupidity, and-" the tiny lemur gripped J's foot, "-dat. Seriously, what does dat even mean?" He kicked the lemur off.

The tiny lemur hit the ground with an "_oof!_" He stood up and dusted himself off. A shadow appeared over him, and he looked up. A puffin was standing there, staring at him, his face expressionless. The lemur happily waved at it and said a cheerful "hello!"

* * *

_Johnson was standing near the edge of an enormous waterfall. He spotted two lemurs-a ringtail and an aye-aye-run behind it. Johnson followed them, and soon found himself staring up at the mouth of a cave. The lemurs were nowhere to be seen, so Johnson assumed they were already in the cave._

_His theory was confirmed, when he heard voices come from inside._

_"I think it was over here," someone said._

_"We'd better be hurrying it up, before you-are-knowing-who-I-am-speaking-of returns and ruins everything," someone else said._

Johnson was awoken by someone jabbing his side. He blinked and saw Skipper staring at him, eyes tinted with slight annoyance. "Mornin', Sleeping Beauty," the Aunka said.

Johnson stood up, rolling his eyes. It was morning, and the three of them were hiding out behind the church.

"Any useful dreams?" Manfredi asked. Johnson nodded and describe what he had dreamt about. Then, Manfredi said "a cave behind a waterfall, eh?"

Skipper smiled. "Too classic to be chiche."

A rustling sound was heard, and the penguins turned around. Manfredi's back pack was moving, as though something was inside it.

A tiny brown-furred head popped out and greeted the penguins with a perky "BOO!"

The penguins jumped into fighting stances, but dropped their guard when the lemur crawled out, and they saw how small he was.

"Um," Johnson said awkwardly to Manfredi, "why do you have a gerbil in your back pack?"

"Actually, that's a mouse lemur. Now, to answer your question," the scientist shrugged, "I have no idea."

The mouse lemur looked up them, still grinning. "My name is Mort! Is one of you Skipper, or Manfredi, or Johnson?"

"That depends who's asking," Skipper stated, folding his arms.

Mort seemed confused. "Well, um," he smiled, "if you see them, tell them that a puffing wanted me to tell them that if they don't bring the orbs-whatever those are-to the castle, then he and his friend will hurt the queen!"

The penguins looked at Manfredi in shock. "I didn't know about this!" he testified.

Mort clapped his hands, happily. "Okay! I'm going to find Explorer J behind the waterfall, now!" He started to walk away, but Johnson interrupted him.

"Did you say 'waterfall?'"

The lemur turned around. "Yes..."

"Do you know where this waterfall is?"

"Uh-huh..."

He looked at his teammates and smiled coolly. They nodded, and Skipper asked Mort "can you take us there?"

"Ooh!" Mort's eyes light up. "You want to see Explorer J, too!?"

"Uh, sure..." was the puzzled response.

* * *

**Is it me, or are these chapters getting shorter? *shrugs* Oh well. Please review!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Curse my lack of ability to make chapters longer! *bangs head off wall***

* * *

**Chapter 12: Finding the Way**

"La da la, la da la, it is over here," Mort sang as he skipped ahead of the annoyed penguins following him. They were trekking by the edge of a crystal blue river. A gentle breeze blow in the opposite direction of their path, and leaves floated onto the grassy ground. Mort continued singing. "We. Are. Walking. And. We-"

"Will you can it, mammal!?" Skipper interrupted, looking as though he wanted to punch the little creature.

Mort stopped singing, but continued to skip, merrily. "Sorry, Mr. Bossypants!" Skipper growled softly. "But I am _sssooo_ excited that you guys get to meet Explorer J, that I-"

"Not to change the subject," Manfredi interrupted, rolling his eyes, "but, Mort, how did you get into my bag, before?"

"Well, I sneaked in, while you were sleeping. It is really cozy in there!"

Johnson wasn't really listening. He was waiting for that feeling he'd gotten when he and Skipper had found the first clue in The Sound. What did it feel like, again? For some reason, Johnson couldn't remember. All he could recall, was feeling light headed.

Then, he thought about his dream. He remembered seeing a waterfall. And a cave behind it. And...

"Say, Mort," he said, remembering the lemurs. He hadn't mentioned them to his teammates. "Tell us about this 'J' guy."

Mort twirled a little. "Well, he is a super duper awesome explorer! I'd tell his real name, but that's a secret. You see, he and his partner, M, make lots of enemies on their adventures. They use the first letters of their names to make it harder for their enemies to find them."

Skipper smiled. "I'm starting to like these guys."

The mammal continued. "They hail from Madagascar, and they journey across the land, searching for adventure, treasures, and...something else!" He stopped and sniffed the air. "I smell his feet! We are close!"

The penguins exchanged puzzled-and somewhat creeped out-looks, then Manfredi asked "what exactly do his 'feet' smell like to you?"

"Adventure, thrills, and citrus fruits!" Mort chimed. He ran to a waterfall up ahead. "Follow MEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

They ran after him.

The penguins stopped and marveled at the thundering waterfall in front of them.

Manfredi and Skipper looked at Johnson, who nodded and said "just like my dream."

"I'M COMING, EXPLORER J!" Mort screamed as he ran behind it. The penguins followed.

Behind the fall, they saw the mouth of a dark, ancient-looking cave. The atmosphere seemed different there. Like a cloud of suspense and danger was suddenly upon them. Manfredi pulled a small flashlight out of his bag.

"Move out," Skipper ordered. They bellyslid into the cave.

* * *

J and M were creeping through the darkness. They glanced from side to side, as though expecting something to jump out at them. J gripped the Golden Horn of Gallehus tightly.

M squinted. "What I wouldn't give for a flashlight, right now."

"I know what you mean, partner," J agreed. "It is being too dark! I can barely be seeing de stuffs in front of me!" He shrugged. "Oh well. On de brighter side, Mort is not being here to ruin everything."

J felt something grip his ankle tightly. M said hesitantly "uh, J..."

A knowing yet annoyed look appeared on the ringtail's face. "Mort is here, isn't he?"

M nodded. "I think so."

"Hello!" Mort peeped. "I'm going to help you, Explorer J! And I brought new friends, too! They should be here _very_ soon."

J glared at him. "Mort, _you_ are being useless _enough_! Must you invite _other_ stupidy peoples!?"

"I hate to pick sides, here," M stated, "but you really should leave, Mort, and take your friends with you. This mission is too dangerous."

"But my friends are looking for the orb-thingies, too!" Mort chimed.

At this, J screamed "WHAT!?"

* * *

**I think I'm getting better with descriptions. Please review!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Let's keep this story going!**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Retrieval**

J felt around his leg, trying to find Mort in the darkness. Once he succeeded, his lifted up the mouse lemur by the tail and glared at him. "Why would you bring your stupidy friends?" J asked. "_Especially_, since they are looking for de same thingy dat me and M are?"

"Um," Mort began hesitantly, "because they could help?"

J let go of Mort's tail, and the mouse lemur plopped onto the ground. The lemurs spotted a light appearing from behind them.

* * *

"Check that out," Manfredi said, pointed his flashlight at three lemurs. He turned to Skipper and Johnson. "Those must be the explorers Mort was telling us about."

Johnson nodded. "Probably, but I'm not sure anyone should see the you-know-what..."

"Right," Skipper agreed, "it would too dangerous if anyone else got involved in our mission."

"Excuse me, birdies." The penguins jumped. They hadn't noticed the lemurs walk up to them. "I'm afraid you all should be leaving dis cave," J told them.

M nodded in agreement. "We're doing something kind of important, in here, and it's too dangerous for anyone else to get involved in it."

"Oh, is that right?" Skipper asked cooly. His eyes turned cold. "Step aside, mammals, or we'll be forced to use force."

"What if we worked _together_ to do the dangerous thing?" Mort chimed, looking from J to Skipper.

"No," J answered, putting his hands on his hips, "we cannot. Dis is being dangerous. Too dangerous for you, Mort, or for your birdie friends."

"If it's too dangerous for us," Manfredi said slyly, "then why is danger categorized as a dangerous attempt for dangerous mammals' danger to be dangerous?"

Everyone just stared at him, confused. Then lemurs all looked at each other, and Manfredi gestured towards the inside of the cave. Skipper and Johnson gave him a knowing smile. He was obviously just trying to distract the lemurs. The penguins rushed further in, and the lemurs quickly pursued them.

Johnson started to feel light-headed as he ran. _Here it is,_ he thought. He stopped abruptly and stared at the cave wall next to him. He could barely see without the flashlight, but he knew something was there.

Skipper and Manfredi ran over to him, and the lemurs caught up, as well. Manfredi shined his light on the spot Johnson was looking at. There was writing on the wall that read:

_Those who are separate are not far apart._

_Those who are lost are not missing._

"Haha! In your stupid, feathery faces!" J gloated to the penguins. He shoved the horn in Johnson's face. "We have de horny-thingy dat solveses de riddle!" And, sure enough, underneath the writing was a hole that was the exact size of the Golden Horn of Gallehus. "We will be retrieving de important thingy, while you all-including Mort-leave quietly."

"Gimme that!" Skipper exclaimed, grabbing the horn.

But J wouldn't let go. "It is mine! You cannot be having it!" They both yanked on it, like a game of tug-of-war.

Mort jumped up and down, chanting "go, Explorer J! Take the treasure from Mr. Skipper!"

"Uh, should we do somethin'?" M quiered.

Johnson quizzically at Manfredi. "Got any options?"

Manfredi nodded. "It is a very complex and scientific option, and I think it'll work." He walked over to the still-tugging J, stuck his flipper in his mouth, pulled it out, and stuck it in the ringtail's ear.

J yelped and let go of the horn, sending Skipper plummeting into the wall. He blinked, then looked at the artifact in his flippers and smiled. "Excellente."

J glared at Manfredi. "How daring of you! To give de explorer, who is me, de icky, yucky wet-willy!"

"J," M exclaimed, pointing to Skipper, "look!"

Skipper put the horn into the hole in the wall. It glowed an eery black and disolved into the wall. In its place, a small, white sphere appeared. M tried to grab it, but Manfredi held him back. Johnson grabbed it, and it circled him, dissolving into his body.

J gasped. "NO! NO! NO!"

"Now, what do we do?" M asked his partner.

The ringtail shrugged. "I don't know."

The ground beneath them started to shake. "Earthquake!" Johnson cried.

* * *

**An earthquake!? Please review!**


	15. Chapter 14

***bangs head off wall* Writer's. Block. Is. STUPID!**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Dead or Alive**

As the ground shook, stalactites began falling from the roof of the cave. Bats flew out in a frenzy, and Mort let out an ear-splitting shriek because of it. The lemurs huddled together in panic, but the penguins were braver than that.

Skipper turned to his scientist. "Manfredi, analysis."

Manfredi looked up at the bats. "The cave appears to be collapsing-"

"No kidding," Johnson retorted, only to be slapped by Skipper.

Manfredi continued. "-the cave dwellers are fleeing in panic, and-" he looked at the lemurs blankly, "-and the lemurs are a bunch of babies."

J jumped onto his feet. "M and I are not being de little baby peoples! Mort is being de only-" he was cut off by his own screaming, as a bat sped past him.

"Options," Skipper ordered Manfredi, completely ignoring the explorer.

"I'd recommend-" a stalactite fell and barely missed the scientist "-retreating as fast as penguinly possible."

"Move out!" Skipper shouted over the screeching of the bats.

Everyone fled, except J. He was finding it hard to move his left leg. He looked down at it and facepalmed. Mort was there. Hanging on for dear life. A look a horror on his face. "IS DIS REALLY BEING DE TIME, MORT!? IS IT!?" J screamed at the mouse lemur.

Manfredi stopped running when he heard J's scream and turned around. He gasped when the lemur kicked Mort into the crowd of bats. J sprinted to the entrance, while Manfredi headed deeper in. He was pretty sure the little lemur had never done anything to deserve the death penalty. He _had_ to save Mort.

Manfredi charged through the bats. Despite having a flashlight, it was difficult to see through the blur of thousands of small, black bodies. He heard a tiny shriek. At first, he thought it was just the bats. Then it became louder, and soon the penguin was bowled over by a tiny, brown body. The flashlight fell out of his flippers, and turned off.

Mort was sobbing hysterically. Manfredi told Mort to hop on his back. Mort did as he was told, and Manfredi took off at on his belly at lightning speed. stalactites fell and bats flew and screeched all around them.

They heard voices from up ahead. It was Skipper, Johnson, J, and M. They were calling for Manfredi and Mort.

A huge stalactite plummeted down, knocking out several bats. Manfredi screamed in pain. The stalactite had landed on his legs! Mort took one look at the pool of blood seeping out of the wound and screamed.

"Mr. Manfredi!" he screamed. He tried to pull the penguin out from under stone, ignoring the blood that was now soaking his once-brown fur.

"Mort..." Manfredi said weakly. "Save...your...self..." Then, the penguin's vision went dark.

* * *

"They've _gotta_ come out soon!" M exclaimed, somewhat panicked.

The earthquake had stopped, and he, J, Skipper, and Johnson had made it out of the cave, with nothing but a few scrapes and bruises. They held their breath, as they prayed that Manfredi (and to a lesser extent, Mort) would be out soon.

Soon, they saw Mort run out, screaming his head off. They stared in panic, when they saw that his fur was matted with fresh blood. He jumped onto J's foot, shaking with fear.

"Holy enchilada!" Skipper exclaimed.

M ran over to Mort, his gaze filled with worry and fear. "Mort! Are you alright!?"

"Does he _look_ alright!?" Johnson exclaimed.

"I would kick you," J told Mort, "but even _I_ am not being mean enough to be doing so, right now!"

Mort looked at all of them in confusion, then he looked at the blood on his body. "_Oh_." He smiled at them. "Don't worry. It is not _my_ red stuff."

Everyone else sighed in relief, then Skipper and Johnson stared into the cave, both on the verge of panic. "What about Manfredi!?" Skipper asked.

Mort burst into tears, suddenly. "The-the penguin-tried to-save me!" he shouted between sobs. "But-but-but the rock-fell down-and the red stuff-was everywhere!"

* * *

**Manfredi's...gone... Please review!**


	16. Chapter 15

**I've finally returned! *angel choir***

* * *

**Chapter 15: The Truth**

Everyone just stood there, letting this new information sink in. Manfredi was dead. No one could have survived the situation Mort was describing.

J started crying. "Why, penguin!?" he sobbed to no one in particular. "Why would you have to go, like dis, and not take Mort with you!?"

Johnson completely ignored J and everyone else around him, holding back his own tears. He and Skipper had only_ just_ gotten Manfredi back. _But now he's gone,_ Johnson thought, squeezing his eyes shut, _and we'll never see him again._

He heard a THUMP and looked up. Skipper had pinned J to the ground and was yelling at him.

"This is your fault!" the leader exclaimed, tears filling his deep blue gaze. "If you hadn't kicked that that tiny mammal like a hacky-sack-"

"Skipper!" Johnson interjected, as he and M pulled the penguin off of J. "I know your grieving, sir, but attacking that guy isn't going to..." he trailed off. _Bring back Manfredi, _he mentally finished, not wanting to say it aloud.

Skipper just crossed his arms, glaring at the ringtail. No one spoke for a while. A feeling of tension and sadness filled the air around them.

Finally, M spoke. "S-so, uh...Johnson, was it?" he said, attempting to change the subject. "I noticed that you sucked up that orb..."

"Um, yeah." Johnson cleared his throat and turned to his leader. "That means we, you know, have them all...I think."

Skipper nodded, then gasped. "That last went in you!?"

The other penguin was taken aback by the outburst. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Woah, woah, woah," M interrupted. "Time out. You got _all of them_ in you?" Johnson nodded. M slowly shook his head, looking worried. "Oh no."

"De Dionte!" exclaimed J, smiling. He, enthusiastically, pointed at Johnson. "It is being dat guy! It is not all bye-bye, after all!"

Johnson looked at Skipper with a puzzled-and freaked out-expression. His leader turned his head, refusing to meet his friend's emerald gaze.

"You don't know?" M asked. Johnson shook his head. "Doublo are cursed, because they're born with Aunka and Sizone blood! That's why the orbs become a part of them!"

"But," Johnson stammered, starting to panic, "h-how is that a bad thing?"

"_Because_," M continued, "when the orbs are joined together, they form the Dionte! And since they're now a part of you-"

"Is the penguin the thing you're talking about?" asked Mort, shaking off Manfredi's blood. Some of it remained on his light brown fur, while the rest dotted the ground around him.

M nodded, and Johnson looked over at Skipper. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Skipper looked at him, his eyes clouded with concern. "I didn't think _all of them_ would get sucked into you."

"S-so...um-um..." the penguin-Doublo stuttered. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. _He_ was the Dionte!? "Am I, like...some-sort-of...super penguin now? Or something?"

"Super Penguin!" Mort chimed. "Being penguiny by day! Fighting evil by night! Mr. Johnson could have a theme song and _everything_!"

"Wait, how are we suppose to save the queen, now?" Johnson queried. "Like Mort said, if Hans and Annelise don't get those orbs, Her Majesty's in trouble." A thought crossed his mind and made him shudder. "Do I have to surrender myself or something?"

"Hello? Earth to de Dionte-slash-penguin?" J said to Johnson. "Everybody is knowing dat de Dionte is being to powerful for even de sorceress, Ariana. Dat is being why she gived it up." He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Silly penguin."

"What does-w-what does that mean?"

"It means," M answered, looking fearful himself,"that if it was too much for _her_, and it's a part of _you_, then who knows what could happen!?"

"That kind of power can overwhelm even the strongest of soldiers," said Skipper, his voice even, but his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and worry. "It can eat away at you from the inside out. The Dionte is a powerful force, Johnson, but it's also very fragile. One wrong move-even the slightest paper cut-could destroy it. And, soldier, it'll take you out with it. Not to mention, it's impossible to retrieve it from your body."

Johnson was silently staring at his feet, letting all of this sink in. If he got hurt...he could get killed? But...that didn't matter. They had to save the queen. Even if they couldn't hand over the Dionte. Even if it meant giving up his life.

Johnson turned to his commander, determination filling his expression. "Skipper, let's pay those Sizone a visit!"

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**Reviewer 35 gets a virtual hug in the next chapter! If you want a virtual hug, (or even if you don't) please review!**


	17. Chapter 16

**Reviewer 35 is...Aratriss! *hugs Aratriss***

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**Chapter 16: Nothing Will Be the Same**

Skipper and Johnson arrived at a fairytale-like castle. The lemurs had left after the incident at the cave, and the penguins didn't really care where the explorers and Mort were going, (if they did, they didn't ask) as long as they were no longer around to cause anymore harm.

Upon arriving at a huge moat, Skipper turned to Johnson. "You sure you want to face up to them? One wrong move, and-"

"I know what I'm doing," Johnson interrupted, neither his tone nor his expression portraying any sign of emotion. Other than a burning determination that Skipper had never seen in his lieutenant, before.

Gunner the Crocodile emerged from the moat, and Skipper and Johnson jumped into fighting stances. Gunner ignored this and said calmly "you two must be the penguins those other guys are expecting."

"And _you_ must be Captain Obvious," Skipper countered.

The green-eyed reptile rolled his eyes. Then he slammed his tail against the drawbridge, and it fell with a thud. "Knock yourselves out," he said. "Whether that be literal, or metaphorical," he shrugged, "I couldn't care less."

The penguins glared suspiciously at Gunner, exchanged a quick glance with one another, then crossed the drawbridge and entered the castle.

The Great Hall was as elegant as the rest of the castle. Chandeliers hung from a ceiling that towered over the hall. Golden pillars and walls held it up. A crimson rug stretched down a long staircase, making the white porcilin floor appear to be lined with blood.

Once the penguins entered, the doors behind them slammed shut. They quickly turned around and instinctively jumped into fighting stances, when they saw Hans and Annelise standing in front of the doors.

Annelise smirked. "You know what we want." Skipper and Johnson took note of the pocket-knife in her flippers. "Hand them over, or else."

"Well, that's gonna be a bit of a problem," Skipper told her.

"Don't you want Her Majesty to live to rule another day?" Hans asked evenly.

"Did you get the orbs, yet?" Skipper and Johnson turned around and saw a woman with a puffy, dark purple dress and a golden, ruby-studded crown looming over them. She was holding a notepad and a pencil. Queen Helena seemed taken aback by the Sizone's looks of annoyance and the others' looks of astonishment. "Am I early?"

Skipper and Johnson glared at the other birds. "You tricked us!" Skipper growled.

"So what if we did?" Hans asked casually. "With Queen Helena on our side, all we have to do is watch you hand her the orbs."

"And if you don't," Annelise smiled at her knife, "well, you can probably guess."

"As previously stated-" The Aunka was cut off by Johnson lunging at Annelise. "What the deuce!?"

The two of them wrestled on the ground for a moment, then Johnson stood up, holding up the knife with an expressionless face. Everyone-including Helena-stared at him in silence for a while, not really sure how to react to this.

Then, Annelise broke the silence. "Um...what?" she said, stunned.

Johnson took a deep breath. "Every single orb is inside of me." A gasp from the Sizone (aside from the queen, who couldn't speak bird). "As you all know, this means I'm the Dionte. Now, I'm aware that this means that I'm what the Sizone are after. I know that if me and Skipper try to flee the country," he looked at Hans and Annelise, "then you two will hunt us down, putting Skipper-and anyone else we meet-in danger. On the other hand, if I surrender myself, then I'll be putting the whole world in danger. I _could_ just kill you-Hans and Annelise-but what about other Sizone? Surely, word will get around that the Dionte is on the run. I refuse to risk the lives of good people." He opened the pocket-knife. "There's only one thing to do." With that, Johnson thrust the knife through his stomach and collapsed, his blood blending in with the red rug.

No one moved. Everyone was silent for a minute, but to them it seemed like a year.

Then, Queen Helena bent down next to Hans and handed him the pad and pencil. "Whatever just happened," she said, staring at Johnson's lifeless body, "write it down."

Hans shook head and began writing, as Skipper walked up to his friend's body. He carefully slid the knife out of Johnson's stomach and looked at it, tears streaming down his cheeks. He looked at Johnson and slowly shook his head. _I can think of a few better ways to have handled this, _he thought sadly, _but at least you died for the good of many._

"WHAT!?" Helena screamed in outrage after reading about what had just happened. "THE DIONTE-MY LIFE'S WORK-IS GONE!?" She snatched the knife out of Skipper's flippers. "I spent my life searching for that! And for what!? To watch it perish!? That's it! That was the only thing that kept me around! THE ONLY REASON FOR ME TO LIVE!" She sliced the knife through her neck and collapsed, blood pouring from the wound.

Hans and Annelise exchanged shocked and terrified looks, then bolted out of the room. Skipper timidly walked over and picked up the knife, still trying to process everything that had just happened.

He heard a door open behind him and turned around. Three armed men-the guards, Skipper guessed-stared in shock and horror at the sight before them.

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**Don't stop reading! There will be an epilogue! Until then, please review!**


	18. Epilogue

**Nearly finished...**

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**Epilogue**

_Skipper's Logue. May 12, 2001. Time: Unknown_

_I am currently hiding out in the cargo hold of a plane that I'm pretty sure is heading to America. After escaping those guards, I managed to sneak into some guy's luggage, and here I am. Fortunately, the bag wasn't completely zipped shut, so I managed to come up for some air._

_A lot's happened over these past few days. I confessed my Aunka Clan membership to Johnson. We found out he was a Doublo. Manfredi returned, stating that he was on our side. We met up with some lemurs-one of whom pretty much sent Manfredi to his grave by kicking the smallest lemur. Johnson became the Doublo. He and I found out that Queen Helena of Denmark was a Sizone. Johnson...sacraficed himself to save the world from the clutches of the Sizone Clan. The queen-who was apparently nuts-killed herself because the Dionte was destroyed. Hans and Annelise fled, and I was blamed for the queen's demise._

_It's almost funny. This whole adventure started with a simple mission: getting a stolen painting that wasn't really stolen. Weird how things can change, like that. Manfredi and Johnson...they died for a cause. Manfredi saved a life. Johnson saved many more._

_Speaking of saving a life, I can't help but wonder what became of those lemurs..._

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**Twelve Years Later**

A slim lemur with gray fur and a leafy crown was sitting on a throne that was made out of wood and decorated with leaves on the top. On the lemur's lap sat a dirty, beat-up cardboard box. He was looking inside of it with a goofy smile on his face.

"Hey, Maurice!" he called, not taking his amber eyes off of the contents of the box. "Come over here, and let your king be showing to you something!"

A bulky, dark gray lemur ran up to the throne. "What is it, King Julien?"

King Julien jumped off of his throne and showed Maurice the box. He grinned. "Are you recognizing de stuffs in here?"

Maurice smiled. "You bet, Your Majesty. It's everything we found during our days as Explorer J and Explorer M."

"And me!" Julien and Maurice jumped and looked down at a tiny brown lemur. They hadn't heard him approach. "Why did you guys use your first innitials?" he squeaked.

"We told you, Mort," Maurice said. "We made a lot of enemies in the explorer business. If they don't know your name, they can't track you down."

Julien sighed happily, turning to his right hand man. "Those were being some fun times, Maurice. It is being kind of funny. We were de explorer-peoples, and now we are a king and his servant. Me being de king, dat is."

Maurice nodded. "It's funny how some things change."

Mort embraced Julien's foot, and the ringtail groaned. "And how some things don't." He closed his box and handed it to Mort. "Here. Put dis back underneath of de bouncy." He kicked Mort in the direction of a large, colorful bounce house. He looked over at the penguin habitat, where four penguins were sparring. He was looking at one in particular-one with a flat head and deep blue eyes. "Do you think de Skipper penguin is knowing who we were, when we were in Denmark, searching for de Dionte?"

"Probably. Remember when we met him in Madagascar, and he asked if we'd ever been to Denmark?"

"Oh yeah. I said 'yes,' then I remembered dat Mort killeded his penguiny friend, and so I said to him 'no no. It was not being us.'"

Maurice rolled his eyes. He and Skipper both new it was King Julien's fault that Manfredi died, not that the lemur king would ever admit it. Maurice looked at the still training penguins and wondered what became of Johnson after he, King Julien, and Mort had left.

**The End (This Time I'm Serious-It's Over)**

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**Thank you, everyone who read and/or reviewed this story! I think this one was _much_ better than "Operation: Denmark." Or, if you put in the words of The Amanda Show, this story better! _Much_ better! Please review!**


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